Saturday, October 31, 2015

I'm a stay at home mom so sick days just aren't what they used to be. When I had a "real" job if the kids were sick or I was, I called in. I spent the day at home snuggling a sick kid, vegging out, not changing out of my pajamas. My husband informed me yesterday there is no calling in sick for this job. Which really sucks because everyone in my house is sick. It wouldn't be so bad if baby was sleeping but it's hard to breath and suck a binky when your nose is plugged! Needless to say, she needed said binky put in 8 times last night!
The sickness is not conducive for writing. Neither is the tiredness. So I've just been trying to brainstorm. That wasn't working either. I had a small scene stuck in my head that I couldn't get passed. I have finally written it down, so I'm hoping I'm freed up to keep going.
One word at a time! Keep on keeping on!

Monday, October 26, 2015

I love when inspiration strikes hot and heavy. And on the other hand it is just as intense only painful when it fizzles. I like to write on inspiration. The advice is out there that you should write no matter what. You can always edit unless you've written nothing. But the truth is, it's hard.
So I had been creating a second draft during daytime naps and writing a first draft at night(which is when the story was really speaking to me). Now I've been interrupted by my husband. Whenever he comes home from out of town my carefully crafted schedule goes haywire. I'd rather have him home than not, so I'll just have to deal.
Now that I've procrastinated by complaining here, I guess I'll go write ;)
Keep on keeping on.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Yeah, it happens. I don't want to write. There are all sorts of reasons at any given time. But why now? Am I burnt out? Maybe. But I don't think that's really it because last night I wrote about 2000 words of a story that popped in my head as I was putting my daughter to bed. The scene was so vivid, I couldn't ignore it. So once she was asleep, I laid her down and went straight to my laptop. I finished the scene, took a shower and then wrote some more. The rest wasn't as complete, but it was there. I try not to let inspiration get away. But right now I think what the real problem is is that I've got too much going on. I've got a novel I'm querying but keep editing cause I can't let it go. I've got a completed first draft that's sat long enough, I think, and needs to move on to the second draft. I've got a fantasy story brewing but I'm not letting myself dig into because it needs some serious world/character building before I wrote it if I want the writing process to go smoothly. I've got a new story that just popped in my head but I don't really know, but I think I do, where I need to take it. I don't even know her name and I won't name her because to name her is to commit to writing her. And it's really not her time. Although she's saying it is.
See? Too much going on! I need to commit. But to what? Who gets my attention?
I just spent 15 minutes and four pages into my competed first draft and barely changed anything. Is it too soon? Am I not commited enough? Am I lazy and don't want to edit? I DONT KNOW!
So, what am I going to do?
I'm going to name her. Because I don't want to edit. Because I want to write a crazy first draft. I'm going to give her my time and when hubby gets home from working out of town, I'll print out first draft that needs to become second draft and I'll read it. Then I'll read it with a red pen in hand. May be ;)
Chase your dreams even when you're not sure where you're going.

Thursday, October 15, 2015

I don't really feel like I have a muse. I just have stories that insist on being told. Or if they fade away then the time wasn't right. Novel A is basically complete(does a writer ever feel a story is truly complete? Hence the basically complete) and I have sent my query off to five agents. I received my first no in less than 24 hours. It was a form rejection :( it is really rather painful. No other responses as of yet. I'll send more out in the next couple weeks.
Now other than doing the next go round on the synopsis, I need to let A go and move on to another story. This is where my nonexistent and yet fickle muse comes in. I have a completed first draft of WIP R and I could/should go work on draft two. But(we all knew that was coming), another story has been tickling my brain. I have been letting the ideas tumble around, knowing I needed to decide on some background stories and world building before I could proceed to plot. I did all of this, all while knowing I should be working on R. If R would speak up, it would be easier. Instead this other story keeps talking. That is until I put some world building on paper. Suddenly the story has backed off. Now what am I to do? Which story should I chase? Logically, I should chase the story closest to publishing, the one with a completed draft one, not the story coyly dancing in my head.
May be there is a fickle muse, and the stories are her puppets? If so, me and her need to talk, seriously.
Chase what needs chased...your dreams.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

So I went in for one notebook and one pen. I like to write down ideas in a notebook and I like to have only one novel per notebook. Although I have broken that rule. And I currently don't have five novels in my head. I just have one shiny new idea, hence the fact I went in for one notebook. Oh well, what's a girl to do when faced with so many choices?!

Thursday, October 1, 2015

That moment when you realize a "little tweak" you need to make to the MC which will probably make her better but will require some very focused editing to get it all just right? Ugh! I much prefer to be picking and choosing just. The. Right. Word. That's where I thought I was, but... With this one little "tweak" to her personality and she started talking to me! That's when I knew I had to insert this change through the whole book. Hopefully it pans out and doesn't mean I just wasted a whole lot of time doing the wrong kind of editing/rewrite.
Fight the fight!

About Me

I have so many job titles just like any other person out there. But I am most proud to say I am a wife, mom, writer, animal lover and a Christian. Welcome to my world where mostly I'll tell you about my writing journey, but now and again I'll let you a little further into my crazy, beautiful, chaotic life(aka I have a husband, 2 kids, 2 cats, 1 dog, 2 horses, 19 chickens and a few cows).